I vote for the first one. I love neutrals.

SOnce you are replacing, how about trying to find two coordinating fabrics rather than keeping them the same?

I also like choice one. It’ll feel so much brighter.

More impotantly what is your style not just the house. Also before choosing anything make sure all that lighting is LEDs in 4000K . I also think you will need to choose wallpaper and then be prepared to paint all the walls to work with it. IMO I would do something a bit less subtle.How many entries do you have?

Picking a neutral wall covering is like picking a shirt to go with a suit or an outfit. You don't just pick any old white or neutral shirt, it has to coordinate with the rest of the outfit and you have to like the way it looks on you. May be beautiful on the hanger, but not so beautiful next to your complexion/coloring.

Wall covering needs to work with the trim, flooring, furniture, art, area carpets, window treatments and other accessories that are in the space. The end result has to bring you joy.

Can you share pictures of the things you will be placing in your home and things that have colors that make your heart sing?

I would consider a beautiful natural gold colored grass cloth wallpaper for your entrance and stair hall. It would look good with your flooring and your paneling. And would bridge the gap between traditional and a more modern look.

I would do a bold floral for your entrance foyer and a coordinated grass cloth for the hall. Check out Candace Olsen’s wallpapers!

Thanks for the ideas!
The furniture in the pics are the current owners. Below is my current home/style- please remember our current home is our first home so over the years we will purchase some better pieces for the new house.
The house will be painted based off the hallway (and the trim will be painted as well). We will do new entry floors down the road.
I do have 2 little kids so the first paper was appealing because it’s a thick acrylic paper. I would love grasscloth but it’s not conducive with kids.
We will also be replacing the ceiling light fixtures.

Last pic of current house. Also, here’s a sample of #1 in our current house. I was picturing black furniture and accents and a great Champaign sunburst mirror at the entry

I would go with something bolder.

That’s pretty boring. Maybe live there for awhile before you decide on that wallpaper.

Many years ago I read M.Stewart's method to alter current wallpaper so that the pattern shows through, but the color is changed/softened. Maybe before removing the stripes you could look into it.

https://www.bhg.com/decorating/lessons/expert-advice/grandmillennial-style/

I have always loved this Schumacher Acanthus paper! Classic.

@lynartist - beautiful!! And perfect except I can’t get my husband on-board! 🤦‍♀️

After much thought, I think we are going a different direction since we cannot seem to agree on the perfect wallpaper. This is our new inspiration, which I am pretty excited about!

Ohhh, I wouldn’t do that in this house. I guess your husband hasn’t heard the saying “ Happy wife, Happy life! 🤦‍♀️

You might want to keep scale in mind!

@lynartist why wouldn’t u do that in this house? I thought it would actually suit the house nicely... it’s a white brick house, large round pillars and black shutters...
Our entry is bigger than this photo. Just curious for your thoughts

I think the scale is too small. Your home is a more formal traditional colonial. You will have to remove all of the beautiful existing woodwork that is now there.

8’ ceilings

10’ ceiling

I’m sorry but that inspiration picture just doesn’t suit this space! They usually don’t...

I want to make sure I am seeing this correctly. Essentially you have an entrance and then you walk into the stairway foyer. Currently they are all done in the reddish stripe? Is that correct? If so I would do the actual entrance in one paper and the stairway foyer in another. If you love sisal, I do too, I would highly recommend you take a look at some of the THibaut Vinyl ones. They are textured and really look good but durable. One of my favorites to use is their Taluk Sisal. As you can see it comes in a ton of colors.

I would use it in the one of the two spaces and my preference would likely be the stairway foyer. In the entrance I would go for more pow. Maybe even some color. But keeping it neutral here are three I pulled up quickly. I highly recommend you go to their site which is easy to navigate and look through their selection. I am confident you will find what you're looking for. Besides neutral any colors coming into the home? A vibrant print for the entrance part would be stunning.

Just read your comment in regards to the moulding and it would be stunning. I didn't know that was an option LOL! As in an option you are willing to pursue! I do hope in the entry you still do some wallpaper but in the stairway foyer the Scottish moulding would be beautiful.

@ design interior south- you are correct on all accounts- entry can be treated as separate than the foyer/stairway. Thibaut is my favorite paper!! And I swear I have looked through every book 3x and never saw any of these except cafe weave trellis, which I love but not with the current molding. It’s too rigid.
So. My initial thought, which I should have been more descriptive, is to wallpaper the entry (loving your choices above), then do the Scottish moulding up the stairs and also on the front of the stairs as circled in the photo below (I hope to get a better photo next time I am in the house for the walkthrough). I am not afraid of color and will pull these 2 books, in addition to the one lynartist mentioned above.
New lighting for sure and eventually, if I have the patience, new flooring and new stair runner (I have little kids). Also paint the railing and maybe the stairs black?
With this, can I get away with painting the rest of the foyer or do u think faux grasscloth will be best? Maybe it will as I can carry that through on top of the moulding and in the upstairs hallway...? Where do I start the moulding on the stairs? The doorway is throwing me off. I have a woodworker lined up to look at it as well so hopefully he will help too.

I will respectfully disagree on this point. I don’t think you should just throw up one style of woodwork that is incongruous to the rest of this very traditional home! I will be very interested to hear what the woodworker says! Most especially in the same space let alone in adjoining rooms!

I am assuming you're trying to give the space a more updated feel for a young family. To do the moulding they will have to take out the existing moulding. It need not be a square over square Scottish. board and batten for it to go from floor to ceiling.

If you notice some of these also have the black painted handrail you mention which would be a lovely accent with the neutrals.

Oops forgot to address your question. Yes paint can certainly be used to finish off the staircase foyer. I would have the doorway encased with a wider moulding. Let me find a photo.

What I’m noticing is these inspiration photos are all enormous homes with souring ceilings! It may be more productive to limit expectations just a bit and talk about budget!

Hard to find a good shot of how the doorway should be incorporated into the wall of moulding. The 4th photo is the best example. The picture above Lyn posted is one but I find that method busy and think it looks better when you beef up the overall casing and take the moulding to the ceiling. Something like this but with no space between the crown is part of doorway casing

Lakeside Home · More Info

64 Crest Road, Ridgewood FOR SALE · More Info

Ive seen it done this way as well but think it looks better by beefing up entire moulding above door and then running your horizontal rails directly into the door casing.

Eclectic Staircase · More Info

Yes, I posted that to show what can be expected in terms of scale but agree that it can run up to the casing as in this pic.

This is the adjoining room to that hat foyer. This is more in scale to OP’s home and shows how the transition from foyer to living space carries through. Again, what’s the budget? Big difference between a ton of millwork and some wallpaper!

I believe this is what DIS is referring too.

This makes more sense to me . Less fussy .

Well that depends on the wallpaper! Truly. For example the Acanthus by Schumacher you recommended is $112 PER YARD. Not single roll! Yard. If she wallpapered that entire entry, stairway foyer stair way and we will assume upstairs hallway because the wall likely continues into a landing and hall, we are talking major amounts of wallpaper. Especially with the larger scale of repeat she is looking at. So wallpaper alone is likely going to run in the thousands plus hiring a professional to take down the red then hang the new. A good wallpaper specialist will charge. Example the wallpaper hanger I use who has been doing it for 34 years charges $24 per single role to hang /$36 for grasscloth. To strip thats anyones guess because it will need to be assessed especially if it was hung wrong . Average to remove is $4-5 s square foot. Then if you need drywall repair and then primer more $$$.

I agree, I never said it was inexpensive wallpaper. I happen to love Thibaut too and that’s not inexpensive either. This is just my opinion. An inspiration photo is fine but the reality is often quite different. Unless the homeowner is aware of the work and cost that is involved and the fact that their home is quite different than the vision I would rather be cautious. I don’t usually play devils advocate but this seems like a disconnect to me. I guess the woodworker will give their input and the homeowner can decide from there.

I don't know what area this home is in. As we all know pricing is subjective to area. I personally think if the scale is kept in mind on all accounts it will turn out beautifully. It is all about the scale and for moulding the scales is calculated by the existing measurements in the home.

Yes, trying to give it a more updated look for a younger family, while holding true to the house’s original charm. Thank you for all these amazing ideas and examples. Love the idea of adding to the top of the door for a better transition.
As crazy as it sounds, I don’t really have a budget in mind because if it is at all manageable, we would rank this more important on the list of projects, and put others on hold, if necessary. I am really anxious to get the woodworker in there (or 2) to set expectations.
Not to throw everyone off more but this is the room off the foyer. This is with the current owners furniture. Initially, I was going to paint the walls one color (maybe silverpointe) with the trim and wainscoting in white but depending on how the foyer shapes out, I might keep it monochromatic. Just want you to see the room off the foyer since it is mentioned a few times.

Beautiful room with beautiful windows. Formal moulding. I would paint the entire wall, molding inliuded all one color for a more updated look. It will also make the ceilings appear higher. That said you will really have to rest Silverpoint in this space. It tends to go green and with the golden oak color of the floors in here and lower light I can see it taking on its green undertone. Here is an example of not only a room with the moulding and wall painted same color but what silverpoint and its undertones may do in your space

Heck of a time posting but here are some other all one color walls

Guess we are going one photo per post today

Oh I see one photo per post and you have to refresh your screen in between each post.

@DIS thanks for the photos. Silverponte does turn a bit green in the space as u mentioned. I am open for ideas. This is actually going to be the family room instead of the living room because there is not another family room space.
Because there is so much natural light I was even thinking of a more opaque color like a bluish/gray. My sofa is a light light gray herringbone, will probably get a new rug and coffee table. My current accessories are a lot of navy/white and silver. I have a dark wooden bar that will go somewhere and sadly, I don’t think the piano is staying (but really praying she will not give it to her son 😉) so I can really do whatever works with the colors off the foyer.
This room opens to the kitchen, dining and sitting space which will likely be a neutral beige, due to the maple wood kitchen cabinets and granite.
What color are these navy walls? I might love that for an accent color in the kitchen dining sitting combo room (the back window wall which will be the sitting room). Sorry, I know I am getting off track from the initial post topic!!